New York, Near Columbus Circle 1930

Werner Drewes made this drawing of New York, Near Columbus Circle, using graphite on paper. What a flurry of marks, like he’s trying to catch the buildings before they disappear. Squinting at it, you can see this cluster of high rises, but up close, it's a vibrating field of lines and smudges. I wonder what Drewes was thinking as he made this. Did he want to capture the feel of the city, its energy and scale, rather than a literal depiction? The graphite is applied in such a way that the buildings seem to emerge from the ground, like they’re growing and dissolving simultaneously. Look at the way he uses the side of the graphite to create broad, smudged areas, contrasting with the sharp, precise lines that define the edges of the buildings. It reminds me of other artists who try to seize the moment with a flurry of marks. Think of Cy Twombly, or even de Kooning's urban landscapes. All of them show us how a drawing or painting can be a record of thought, of feeling, of just being in a place.